Friday, September 30, 2011

Just as crown molding and chair rails can dress up a room inside your home, decorative brick or stone veneer can put a fancy finishing touch on the exterior of the house.

Adding architectural details like contrasting trim around windows and doors can add value and curb appeal to your home during a time when you might not be in the mood to spend a lot of money to completely change its look.

Veneer is thinner—half an inch to an inch thick compared with around four inches for standard brick—and lighter-weight than full brick or stone, so it can be easier for the do-it-yourselfer to work with.

For tips about all your Home Improvement Questions visit our website at www.rosieonthehouse.com and Tune in EVERY Saturday morning on KTAR (PHX), KNST (TUCSON), KQNA (PRESCOTT), KASM (SEDONA) and KAFF (FLAGSTAFF)

If you’ve spilled nail polish on your finished wood floor, you’re probably going to remove part of that finish when you remove the nail polish. So my friends at East Valley Floors suggest that you try to remove the dried-on nail polish by using a damp, white towel to dab a bit of rubbing alcohol on the spot before you put anything harsher on your delicate finish.

Before you apply it to your spot, test it on a piece of scrap wood or on a spot of your floor that’s covered by furniture or carpeting.

If rubbing alcohol doesn’t remove the nail polish, dab the stain with mineral spirits—a mild, petroleum-based solvent that painters sometimes use instead of turpentine to clean paint brushes. Be careful not to spill the solvent on the unstained area of your floor, as it might remove the finish.

Still no luck? Break out the nail-polish remover—but use a non-acetone brand. And if that still doesn’t do the trick, try an acetone-based nail polish—but be aware that it’s going to take the finish off of your floor along with the polish. Lacquer thinner will work much the same way.

If you’re careful to dab just the polish and not the surrounding floor, you will create only a small area of damage to the floor. Lightly sand the unfinished area and then recoat it with an oil-based urethane, using a narrow, artist’s paint brush.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

1. Choose a base coat. You’ll use it to paint the entire surface of the wall or item you want to finish. The base coat may be any color you like. It will remain the primary background or “fill” color. Rosie recommends an interior latex enamel with a satin finish for this step.

2. Choose one or more glazes. These will blend with each other and the base coat to create different colors and hues. You may use oil-based glazes or water-based (latex) glazes. Rosie recommends oil glazes because they dry slower so you have more time to create the effect you want. Tint the glazes by mixing one part paint in any color you choose with four parts of clear glaze. You can buy glazes at home and paint stores.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Clearing clutter or building shelves or even hiring a pro to help you thin out your collection of worn-out , never-worn or out-of-style old clothes, shoes, purses and knick-knacks will help you get your house organized. Still, nothing but a change of attitude and behavior will help you stay that way.

An organized home is important to your sense of order, your peace of mind and even the quality of your life. Here are five reasons to keep your house organized:

1. Save time. Here’s a familiar scenario: You have a project to complete, and you figure it will take you an hour. Then, you can’t find the tool, the piece of paper, the utensil or the information you need to get the chore done—even though you know you just saw it somewhere. That’s because you either don’t have a place where you always store such things—or you didn’t put it in that place last time you used it. So you spend an hour looking for what you need, and a second hour using the tool to complete your project. What else might you have done with that second hour if you had been organized?

2. Save stress. You’re running out the door, late for an appointment, and you can’t find your car keys. Your kids are rushing to get to the school bus, but someone can’t find her left shoe or his backpack or last night’s homework. They start blaming each other or you, an argument begins, someone cries and either they miss the bus or they go to school without the things they need.

Create a “drop zone” either in the garage or in the mud room or foyer where the family passes through to get into the house. Install lockers or a wall unit with a separate compartment for each family member. Purses, keys, backpacks, musical instruments and other items you usually need to take with you when you leave go there—no exceptions. It’s also a great place to put up a bulletin board where you can post reminders for your spouse and children.

3. Save money. I brought home a cool new jacket not too long ago, only to find one exactly like it hiding between the other jackets I have crammed into my closet. I simply forgot I had it because I couldn’t see it when I opened the closet. More than once, I’ve deliberately run out to buy something I need even though I know already own it—because I can’t find it.

Knowing where everything you own “lives” in your house means you’ll have it when you need it. Getting rid of the clutter and then routinely placing items back in their place gives you a better chance of remembering what you already have so you won’t buy unneeded items. Plus, you might find some stuff in your closets that you can sell during a garage sale, at a flea market or on a Web site like Craigslist.

Keep an inventory of the items in your home, which you can do only if you know everything you have and where it is. A book with photos, descriptions and locations of everything you own will come in handy if your home ever suffers from a fire or robbery.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. Rosie Romero is an Arizona contractor who has been in the Arizona home building and remodeling industry for 35 years. He has a radio program from 8-11 a.m. Saturdays on KTAR-FM (92.3) in Phoenix, KQNA-AM (1130) in Prescott and KAZM-AM (780) in Sedona, KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KAFF 930 AM in Flagstaff.